


When Two Sides Collide

by grey_leader



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Decoy King Aone Takanobu, Decoy King Kuroo Tetsurou, Fluff, Good and Evil, King Ushijima Wakatoshi, M/M, Many characters won’t be introduced again, Minor angst for now, Prince Iwaizumi Hajime, Prince Oikawa Tooru, Princes, iwaoi - Freeform, some slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28212264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grey_leader/pseuds/grey_leader
Summary: Tooru Oikawa had always been seen as the villain. He accepted the role and played his part. Hajime Iwaizumi, on the other hand, was always the heroic good guy. Iwaizumi’s family invites Oikawa to a peacekeeping ball.
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Sugawara Koushi/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to a fantasy AU that has both Oikawa and Iwaizumi as princes!  
> I hope you enjoy!

A cold chill swept through the room. Soft footsteps sounded against wood. The creak of a window shutting. The mood of the day seemed to be set by the gloomy clouds outside, distant thunder rumbling in confirmation.

A sigh drifted past soft lips.

“Prince Oikawa!” A soft voice called, muffled. Oikawa turned his head.

“Come in.”

A guard, barely looking the age of 16, stepped into the grand bedroom. His gaze drifted around, giving away his nervousness. Beige hair, swooped in odd curls for bangs, drifted over his eyes. “I was told to inform you that breakfast will be served soon, your highness.”

“Mm.. Thank you, Yahaba. You are dismissed.” Oikawa’s bored tone answered, followed by a click of his tongue.

Yahaba didn’t bother replying, having learned that it would only test Oikawa’s patience. The door shut with a dull thud as Oikawa ran a hand through his hair.

He recalled today was the day he would be travelling to the neighboring kingdom of Direwood. They were oh so graciously holding a ball, as a sign of peace and prosperity. He scrunched up his nose, gathered up his clothes, and let his thoughts take over the silence of the room.

——————————

“Faster!” A masculine voice called, followed by a few sharp clangs of metal on metal.

Grunting, Iwaizumi deflected a hard blow and jumped to the right. Tightening his grip, he moved swiftly to work around his opponent’s blade. An unaccounted for foot knocked against his knee, sending him down to the ground. He definitely didn’t expect that.

“Ye really ain’t acting like yerself today, Iwa.” Atsumu commented, lips turned upwards into a smirk. “Something on yer mind? Perhaps a lady?~”

Although he knew he was only joking, Hajime still wanted to punch the smirk off of his face. “No, of course not,” he hissed and looked around.

Good, no one had seen his miserable fail. “I’m only a little worried about the outcome of this ball. With so many people..” the words died out on his tongue.

Atsumu rolled his eyes. “Really?  _ That’s  _ what’s making you so awful today? How sad.” He made a pouting face. Hajime kicked him in the ankle and scowled.

“Yes, yes it is! Now cut it out and finish today’s training. I’m going to need more time later today to prepare for the guests.”

“Oh of courseeee- Apologies my lessons are too boring for your liking, Your Highnessssss~” He dipped into a low, mocking bow. With the drawl of the words, it made Atsumu seem extra annoying to Hajime.

“Shut the hell up and get on with it.” Hajime answered and got up to his feet. Atsumu held his sword at long point, his left arm behind his back.

“As you wish.” He stated simply, the teasing edge still strong. Just hearing it caused Hajime’s left eye to twitch. He had to ignore it. He had to get past it. He would only have to deal with Atsumu for a few hours more. Thunder crackled and the loud clanging of metal continued.

——————————

Aone found himself face to face with Kei Tsukishima. He stooped down to one knee, lowering his gaze to the ground as he extended his arms in front of him. He spoke no words while he exposed his forearms in a greeting to the crown prince.

“Oh do get up Aone. You are the royal decoy. I see you as an equal here. So if you would kindly understand, you do not need formalities with me anymore.”

Again, no words. And even as he stood he refused to meet the prince’s pointed gaze.

A Royal Decoy. Such a position held respect like no other. As a decoy, you were to be seen as the king to other kingdoms and even sometimes to your own. Not just anyone, however, was chosen for this role.They had to be one of the best in the Royal Army. Generally it was the commander who was chosen because he could defend himself unlike most others and was already seen as such a powerful figure.

This position fell upon Takanobu Aone, Commander of the Jernvegg Army. He was a simple character, straightforward and brutally honest. His stern expression was easily recognized because of his lack of eyebrows. He would always squint which made it seem he was angry. His pure white hair was an odd sight to the muted tones of the others, having him stand out in a crowd even more.

And now as he stood in front of his prince for the thousandth time, something finally clicked in his mind. He could relax now. He really could.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” He spoke. The voice was surprisingly light for the intimidating look of his body. Yet it still perfectly fit him.

The ability to get Aone to speak again made a grin sneak onto Kei’s face. “Finally beginning to crack, I see. Lovely.” His lips pursed for a moment.

“We now must discuss this ball and possible enemies. Keep a careful eye on Ushijima especially,” Kei warned, voice lowering. Aone blinked in understanding.

They would continue to talk for an hour before Kei was forced to attend to other princely duties, more important than talking casually to the stern-faced Aone.

——————————

“Wakatoshi!” A high voice pierced the air. 

An answering grunt came as a person appeared at another’s side. Dark eyes pierced into the newcomer.

“Shall we go over my plan again? I’ve made it easier to understand for you.” A tall, fiery red-haired man spoke. His cat-like eyes pierced into Wakatoshi, who was formally known as Ushijima. The King of Ørn.

“You act as if I didn’t understand it before. But go ahead.” The deep voice made the red-haired male’s very bones shudder.

“Of course, of course- So, I attend the ball as your vice commander. Then, while meeting up with the other.. mmmmm leaders or whatever- I’ll try to get them to come to  _ our  _ side. If we want to overthrow the five kingdoms, we must have them realize their rulers are not the best. Do you know how I’ll make them know you’re the best, Wakatoshi?” He chirped.

Ushijima blinked slowly. “You may not threaten them just yet, Tendou. Remember that. Just try and get at least half of them to join our cause. The entirety of this country shall be ours whether they like it or not.”

Tendou pulled a disappointed face but didn’t dare argue.

“Of course, Your Majesty.” He murmured as they passed by a band of guards. The formality was like a bitter taste on his tongue. He didn’t like the way the words hung in the air, reminding him that he was still much less than equal to the man at his side. He rather preferred his nicknames.

The said nicknames allowed him to show his childishness, the sense that he didn’t lose all of his old hopes and dreams and loves. His safe haven. Ushijima really didn’t seem to mind them anymore, unless they were in the presence of others. Then it was strictly “Your Majesty” and that was it. No joking, no smiles. All seriousness.

Tendou sniffed and shook his head, gaze turning down. Since they were alone yet again, he spoke up. Ushijima’s footsteps echoed loudly through the halls, threatening to drown out his words.

“I know we can do it, Wakatoshi. All odds are looking to be in our favor.”

——————————

A slim grin crossed Matsukawa’s face. He was walking alongside his husband, their hands brushing occasionally. When it would happen, Matsukawa would softly pinch Hanamaki’s pinky finger.

The other male hummed an unfamiliar tune. “So you’re going with Tooru to the ball? Without me?” He gave a small pout.

“No, I specifically requested you as part of the party since your a guard and all that. Plus, Tooru knows he can’t separate us that easily.” Matsukawa let out a snicker, mixing with Hanamaki’s laugh. “Of course. Even with his one functional brain cell he can manage to understand that.”

“Says you,” Hanamaki mumbled and decided to lace their fingers together. Matsukawa didn’t comment, instead just shrugging.

“Considering that I am his highest advisor-“

“Don’t.”

“. . . Fine.” Absolute quiet followed the short comment.

The silence didn’t last for long however, as the two were unable to go barely thirty seconds without talking about something completely random.. usually. This time it turned right back to the ball. They chattered quite loudly because they didn’t understand the concept of “being quiet”.

It went to how Oikawa would react to seeing Iwaizumi for the first time. They knew he’d freaked out a little from seeing him on a painting, but in person would be a whole other story. They loved teasing the prince as much as they loved each other… which was a  _ lot _ .

Their laughter was heard by none other than Tooru Oikawa himself. He stepped into the hall, an annoyed scowl settling on his face. “Do you two not know how to  _ keep it down _ ?” He hissed. The two lovebirds batted their eyelashes innocently.

“Of course, your oh so precious highness.” They sang with too much happiness. They had definitely been rehearsing that.

“Then do it. I’m trying to eat in peace for once, and you two talking on and on about  _ me  _ isn’t what I wanted to hear. Cut the gossip and shut up.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“How about we eat with you so then you know what we’re talking about?” Matsukawa said, eyes lighting up. Oikawa blinked.

“No.”

“Yes! Good idea Mattsun! Now if you don’t mind us letting ourselves in-“ He hummed and tugged at Matsukawa’s arm to go around Oikawa. This time Oikawa couldn’t stop the two from barreling in.

“You two really don’t know anything about privacy do you?”

“Hm- Sorry that word isn’t in my vocabulary.” Hanamaki answered and pulled a chair away from the large oak table. He sat himself down heavily and swung his legs up to rest on the top. Matsukawa sat next to Hanamaki, finally letting go of his hand.

“You clearly need to expand your vocabulary. Now, what were you two so  _ graciously  _ saying about me?”

“Ooh, remember that pudding we had yesterday? Wasn’t it delicious Mattsun?”

“Yes, yes I do! Didn’t Watari make that?”

“He did! And the tarts too-“

Oikawa passed by them, knocking their heads together as he went. “What did I say about changing the subject.” It was more of a harsh statement than a question.

Hanamaki rubbed the side of his head and huffed. “Now that was rude of you, you brute.”

“Ha! Did you really-“

“Yes.” Matsukawa cut in and sat back in his chair again.

“It’s a wonder I haven’t had you two executed yet. Talking so bad about your  _ Prince _ with no shame! Then you call me such names. You two really love bullying me.”

“It’s what we do best!” Hanamaki bragged and spread his arms, grinning. Matsukawa hummed his agreement. Oikawa rolled his eyes and sat across from them. One hand picked up a fork to continue eating.

“Do you guys know why we’ve agreed to attend the ball?”

“Well, our alliance, as well as-“ Matsukawa started but was cut off by his husband.

“Keeping Ushijima from pulling anything funny.” Hanamaki added in.

Oikawa nodded and turned his gaze to his tray. The golden fork prodded at eggs. “Yes. Maybe you guys are able to think after all.”

“Hey we’re the ones supposed to insult you-“ Matsukawa pouted.

Oikawa laughed dryly. “Not this time. Now, about the tarts and pudding yesterday..”

——————————

Kuroo walked slowly through the courtyard, deep in thought. He passed by a large fountain, then large bushes of dark red roses.

His jet black hair ruffled in the wind. It was picking up, he noticed. His dark eyes turned upwards to observe gray clouds steadily coming over from the west. He sniffed in disapproval.

“Traveling may be delayed because of this..” He shook his head, speaking to himself in a low whisper.

Shuffled footsteps came to his side. “Kuroo.. Haven’t you been outside enough? It’s cold and windy and-“

“It’s okay, Kenma. I’ll be inside shortly.” He rested a hand on Kenma’s shoulder. He showed off a reassuring smile to the awkward boy beside him.

“Okay.. I’ll be in the library.” Kenma mumbled and looked down, shuffling away once again. His white cloak covered his small form as he hurried off and his longer, caramel colored hair with dark roots bounced as he walked. This amused Kuroo, who placed a finger to his chin and allowed himself to go back to thinking. He would meet with Kenma in the library later to discuss leaving for Direwood the next morning.

“I’ll finally get to see that Sugawara again- Hmmmm we’ll have a lot of catching up to do. With new trade deals and the ability to get some of the iron in their mines..”

Raindrops splattered on Kuroo’s shirt, making him jolt. After a few seconds of looking at the wet marks on his left shoulder, he spun around to hurry inside.

He was much the opposite of Kenma still. While Kenma will do anything in his power to avoid getting wet, Kuroo could handle it. He enjoyed the refreshing feeling of the cool raindrops. Although, he would not enjoy the scolding he got for not being more careful about his health from Kenma. Not like Kenma was really allowed to say anything…

He shook out the little raindrops from his hair and relaxed. He made his way up a grand staircase, covered with a red carpet. The banisters were a dark black, golden detail etched on the wood. This was pretty much how the entire castle looked, all very put together and elegant.

His feet led him through long hallways and into the main library. Three of the four long walls were covered with packed bookshelves, the only gap for the two grand wood doors. On the opposite side of the entrance was a large window. It let in as much light as possible on the gloomy day. Kenma sat at one of the tables in the far right corner of the room. He had a miniature stack of books on his left side, then a quill on his right side. In the middle sat an unused piece of paper.

Kuroo made his way over to his friend. “Kenma.” He greeted Kenma.

Kenma didn’t move his gaze from the blank page, his head tilting barely to the right . “Hey Kuroo..”

Kuroo sat across from him, leaning back heavily. He smiled. “Are you imagining things again?”

“Yeah.. It’s about you. And saving a princess.” He shrugged and picked up the quill. He began to write a few words in small, somewhat neat handwriting.

“A princess you say? Any chance she looks like you?”

Kenma flushed, ducking his head and using his long hair as a shield from Kuroo’s widening grin. “You say that almost every time-“

“And you never disagree. Now, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Kenma’s writing stopped. When he finally got the courage to look up at Kuroo again, Kuroo continued. “I’m going to have to leave tomorrow, for the kingdom of Direwood. You remember, yeah?”

Kenma answered with a nod.

“Well, I’m going to be gone for around three to four days. I’d take you along but.. Lev won’t exactly allow me to. So, I’m here to say now that I’d really appreciate it if you looked after yourself, alright? I don’t want to come back to something having happened to you. I’ll be asking Yamamoto-“ Kenma groaned at the name, “- to look after you. You can handle him for that long, can’t you? Please? For me?”

“I.. I guess so.” His soft voice answered once again.

Kuroo reached across the table to pat his head. “Thank you. I promise I’ll get back as fast as possible.”

He began to stand, until Kenma shook his head.

“Please stay. I’d like you to be here to help with the story. Your input is.. sometimes helpful I guess.”

Kuroo’s eyes brightened. “Well, alright then! I guess I shall- So, how handsome am I in this?” No answer. Kuroo chuckled and watched as the quill moved quickly again. They spent a while talking about how they saw the story, Kenma making sure to avoid Kuroo’s witty comments.

Little did they know how much a story could impact their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa travels to Direwood and meets Iwaizumi for the first time.  
> A dinner with royalty awaits.

Oikawa’s eyes shut tight. He couldn’t handle the rambling of his friends any longer. “Okay you two, I’m going to go and decide what to wear for tomorrow’s traveling.” His chair screeched while it was pushed back by the force of him standing. He didn’t flinch, but Hanamaki did.

“Oh so soon? We haven’t even gotten to talking about that Prince Hajime.” Matsukawa hummed, seeming to not even bat an eye as Oikawa hung over him.

“Knowing you two, it will be something ridiculous or rude. I’d rather not think of our ally in either of those ways for the time being. How about you gossip about that Tsuki.. whatever prince? What’s his name- Eh, I don’t really care.” He slipped around the table, hand outstretched to grab the doorknob.

Hanamaki clicked his tongue. “Because that’s no fun, I tell you. But you better go and collect your best outfits, Your Highness~ I’ve heard Iwaizumi is super hot. Hotter than Mattsun.”

Matsukawa grinned and stretched his arms over his head. “It’s hard to beat someone as good looking as I, and if Makki says it, then it’s gotta be true.”

Oikawa gagged. “You two disgust me.”

He left the room before they could get in another word. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as soon as he stepped outside. The air felt clearer, even. They could have quite literally talked his ear off if he stayed any longer.

Not that he didn’t enjoy the company of the two. In fact, he found them very amusing. Their little comments and even quick kisses (they did those purposely when Oikawa was watching) were quite the show. It’s just they decided to annoy _him,_ of all people.

As he made his way up a few staircases, his thoughts went to what they said about Prince Iwaizumi.

_I’ve heard Iwaizumi is super hot._

Hah! Even if he was, Oikawa decided that he would always be hotter than that other prince.. What was his name? Oh right- Iwaizumi!

He let his _oh so humble_ ego take over as he went into his room and took a good look at himself in a mirror. He smiled and began to decide on an outfit that would prove to be both comfortable and elegant.

A thin white shirt with long, loose sleeves. Somewhat tight brown pants that gave the illusion of an ass he wanted but just couldn’t have because he was as flat as a door. His shirt would have teal detailing, and expensive gold cufflinks. He remembered his father giving them to him on his eighteenth birthday. It had been a quiet occasion, maids and guards pausing their busy schedules to wish him a happy birthday to the point of the saying annoying him. At dinner, before he could leave, his mother had given a soft smile then nodded to his father. Then, a small white box was pulled from his father’s coat and handed over. Inside laid the cufflinks, shining brilliantly from the reflection of the light. He was proud to have them now, realizing they could hold his history now as well.

When he looked at himself again, he paused. The ego faded for a split second when he stared at his face.

_No. Keep it together. Keep the mask on._

His lip twitched and he sighed. He returned to his previous clothing, setting aside his chosen outfit for the next day.

Going through his abundance of clothes, he sorted out what he would take and what could stay. To no surprise, he chose fancy and elegant clothing rather than the bland items he had accidentally stocked up on.

“Alright, that should be enough. I hope-“ He tilted his head, feeling his bangs sweep against his forehead. He blew them out of his eyes and jumped at the sound of thunder. His gaze shot to the window and a small panic rose in his stomach when he focused on the raindrops gathering along the windowsill.

He was terribly glad no one was around to make fun of him. To prevent it from happening in the future, he locked his door and pulled the thick, navy curtains over the wide window overlooking the southern courtyard. He caught a glimpse of the brilliant whites of the lily garden before the scene was closed off.

Messing with his appearance was the only way he could keep his mind off the thunderstorm outside. He would sweep a hand through his hair, try to hide the dark circles under his eyes, or even try to dust on some freckles (he very quickly decided they did not suit him and they were wiped away). It helped clear his head; helped ease up his tense muscles.

“Tooru.” A voice said through the other side of the door.

Oikawa shot up from his desk and ran to the door. Fast fingers tugged at his collar to fix the untidiness, hiding the evidence of his panic. He pulled it open and sighed with relief. “Suga-“

Sugawara showed a soft smile to the prince, dipping into a bow. “I decided I should come to make sure you aren’t pissing yourself from the storm. You _are_ a wimp after all.” The sweet smile definitely didn’t fit _that_.

“I- Why would I do that?!” His voice rose high in offense and he stepped back. He moved to shut the door in Sugawara’s face, who just placed a foot against the door to stop it.

“You can’t hide things from everyone, you know. Now are you going to let me in or not?” His round eyes sparkled with fake innocence.

Oikawa hesitated before stepping away from the door to allow Sugawara to waltz inside.

“What is with everyone bullying me today? I wake up only to be attacked by everyone.” He pouted. Sugawara shrugged. “It’s just in our nature, I suppose. Someone has to keep you in check, or else you’d stare into a mirror forever and destroy our kingdom.” The monotonous voice came back while Suga shut the door behind him.

“Wha- No! Just- UGH did you really come just to check on me?”

“Yes, yes I did. Now don’t whine like a child.”

Oikawa sat down on the edge of his bed, head turned up to the ceiling. He counted out as many lines in the wooden panels as possible as he tried to think of something to say in return.

Sugawara hummed and examined the piles of clothes left around. “I see you’re packing. Did the servants not do it like instructed?”

“No, I just told them I could do it myself. Plus, they sometimes pack in things I don’t need and leave out things I do.” Oikawa dismissed it with a wave of his hand. Sugawara raised an eyebrow but made no comment.

It was silent for a little while longer before Oikawa spoke up again. “Stop staring at me like that.”

“Like what?” Sugawara asked.

“Like- Like you have something very mean to say.”

“Oh please- I would’ve already said it by now. It’s not easy to hold in those beautiful insults I come up with about you.”

Oikawa didn’t answer once again. He found it unsettling how Sugawara was the only person who could make him silent; unknowing of how to bite back.

He wanted to assume it was because Suga was the commander of his army. He could make someone beg for mercy in a second, yet also help them recover from being told horrible news with such a gentle face and a kind heart.

It made Oikawa sick to his stomach.

——————————

“Prince Iwaizumi!”

“No.”

“What? I didn’t even-“

“I know you’re going to ask me to train you. I’m too busy right now.”

Kyoutani’s scowl deepened at the answer. His new mentor was _not_ the best at helping him when he needed it. “Busy with what? Talking a walk?”

“Yeah, exactly. Can’t you go get Atsumu to train you?” Iwaizumi shot Kyoutani a glare. His gaze dared him to say something to defy him.

“. . . Yes, Your Highness.” Kyoutani bit his lip while crossing his arms. A longsword hung from his hip, knocking lightly against his thigh. He spun around on his heel to go find the reckless commander.

Iwaizumi made sure he was gone before allowing his shoulders to fall from being held high to keep a good posture. He frowned in thought. “We’re going to have to keep Ushijima away from Oikawa somehow.. But dinner- Hm well maybe have them sit on opposite ends of the table..” He rubbed his chin, mumbling his thoughts out loud.

It was well-known the two would cause trouble when put together, whether it be from declaring war to petty arguments. They despised each other with their entire beings. Sugawara would have to force Oikawa to talk just to be nice and act like a proper prince, and Ushijima managed greetings then left. It was _also_ known that Ushijima would much rather spend his free time in Iwaizumi’s presence..

Remembering this, Iwaizumi shivered. Ushijima’s hard gaze was just so- intimidating and weird. Yeah he was quiet, but it was awkward and Iwaizumi didn’t know how to fill the silences shared.

He tossed his head back and exhaled slowly.

“It’ll be okay. Ushijima will.. back off eventually. I hope.”

When he heard the thunder growing closer, his feet led him down the cobblestone path into one of the side entrances to the castle. This particular one led him into the bustling kitchen.

When the maids and chefs spotted him, they immediately stopped what they were doing to turn and bow deeply. One pot clattered to the floor, followed by a few forks. Iwaizumi flinched. “I- Hello everyone. I’m sorry to cause a scene-“ He began to move around the people, reaching for the door.

He was out the door and down the hall in a few seconds, not wanting to bother the maids by dragging his feet. He rubbed his face.

_I really need something to do…_

Quickening his pace, he allowed his feet to lead him blindly through the castle. He thought back to Kyōtani asking to be trained- Of course.. That’s what he could do.. and yet- no. He was going to do it.

He took in a sharp breath and turned around so he could find his hot-headed student.

He couldn’t move for a second, freezing as he noticed a tall figure watching him from behind a corner to his left. He blinked rapidly. “Who’s there?”

The body slinked out of the shadows. There stood a pale-skinned man, with fluffed out black hair and dark eyes Iwaizumi couldn’t make out the colors of. The breath caught in his throat.

“What is it you need of me?” Iwaizumi asked with a low voice after a few heartbeats of silence (which he used to relearn how to breathe).

“A few seconds of your time, Your Highness.” Not only was this person breathtakingly beautiful, their voice was soothing. It did not hold any harmful intention.

“A- Fine. Yes, I can do that.” Iwaizumi lifted his chin while squaring his shoulders.

“I am Keiji Akaashi. One of your royal spies.” The man folded over into a graceful bow. “I have news regarding Ushijima Wakatoshi.”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened. “Should you not be informing my father of this, rather than me? It is he who decides our courses of action that will benefit our kingdom most.”

Akaashi stood up straight. His eyes closed. “And yet I have come for _your_ advice instead, Your Highness. I know his Royal Majesty will be told of this shortly, but I believe you should know in advance.”

Iwaizumi’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. He flicked his hand. “Alright, go on. I expect you to tell my father after this immediately.”

“Very well. It has been learned that Ushijima is trying to gain control of all five kingdoms. While stationed in Ørn, I overheard a conversation between him and a royal by the name of Satori Tendou.

I have reason to believe Ushijima will try to take advantage of Kattene first, as they are the centers of trade in our country. And if our supplies are blocked off..”

Iwaizumi nodded in understanding, before Akaashi could continue. “I see. So, we should make sure that Kattene advisors are not left alone with Ushijima’s advisors?”

“Yes, as well as the king himself. Ushijima will push to be in conversations, even when he knows he is not welcome. Lev Haiba is also easily turned to different sides; his opinions are known to alter quite often.”

Iwaizumi grunted in agreement, making a move to walk past Akaashi. “I see. Thank you for informing me of this. Now, if you’ll ex-”

“I also think you should look out for Prince Oikawa Tooru.” His level voice cut across Iwaizumi’s. He craned his neck to follow Iwaizumi’s movements.

Iwaizumi’s gaze snapped to the side. “Is he a dangerous threat to us?”

“Somewhat. His father, the ‘Great King’, is known to assist the wrong sides in battles.. And earns them victories. He mercilessly killed many people just because they happened to live in villages on the ‘good sides’. Ushijima may also target him for more support.”

“Alright. I’ll be keeping that in mind.. Have a good afternoon.” Iwaizumi turned ahead to leave.

Akaashi bowed again. “You as well Your Highness.”

——————————

Oikawa muffled a groan into his pillows. _It was way too early_ _for traveling_ , he thought.

Sugawara stared down at him, arms crossed over his chest. “Are you going to throw a fit? Maybe you are more of a child than I thought.” His eyes shined with laughter.

Oikawa turned his head to look up, eyes narrowed dangerously. “I need my beauty rest, my dear Suga. Waking up this early does absolutely nothing but put me in a bad mood.”

Sugawara stepped away from the bed as Oikawa sat himself up. “I think I prefer your grumpy side to your childish side. It is one of the only sides I can actually agree with.”

This earned a pillow being knocked against Sugawara’s face. He laughed, bending down to pick it up. “I’ll leave you to get dressed. Although your mother _did_ give me permission to slap you if you didn’t hurry so.. Remember that.”

Oikawa didn’t reply, just staring at the back of Sugawara’s head. His silver hair was soon gone and Oikawa appreciated the short time he was left alone.

He took his sweet time pulling on his clothes, doing it just because it would get on Sugawara’s nerves. His gaze stayed trained on the mirror, telling himself he looked amazing while pushing back other thoughts.

The door opened without warning and Sugawara stared. “Put on your pants for crying out loud-! We have to go!”

Oikawa yelped and spun around, almost tripping as he pulled one leg through the wrong hole. “You can’t just barge in like that! What if I had been-“

“I’ve seen worse!” Sugawara answered and then bonked Oikawa on the top of the head. He winced and buttoned his pants.

“Well of course considering I have the most amazing body.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Oikawa was pulled out of the room without a warning while still trying to figure out what to say in return to Sugawara’s comment. He found, like always, there was nothing to be said.

When the journey started, he shifted himself on the leather saddle. He was riding his personal horse, who he named Jasper, for the first time in a few months. The strong mare had to recover from having a colt, and even though Oikawa could not ride her he still spent some of his spare time around to take proper care of her and the new baby. She was the only pet he was allowed to have and so he wanted to make sure he was doing everything right.

Sugawara caught the prince’s tired gaze and grinned. “We’ll stop later to rest. For now, just try not to fall off your saddle.”

The other guards shot each other surprised glances, absolutely appalled by the fact Sugawara had talked to their prince that way.

“Be quiet.” Oikawa hissed, eyes narrowing.

Sugawara obliged, turning ahead to lead the group silently. Oikawa caught a glimpse of a wide grin spreading on Sugawara’s features. Even when Oikawa thought he won, Sugawara would win an argument in one way or another whether it be with facial expressions, gestures, or even just glances.

It was a tiring day and a half of traveling before Oikawa could finally see the outline of Direwood. His gaze brightened when his eyes found the castle. With the sunset directly behind it, the humongous outline of the castle dark against the falling sun on the horizon.

“Wow..” Oikawa breathed, falling silent to bask in the beauty.

Sugawara hummed his agreement and began forward again. They followed rocky, beaten pathways until they got closer to the castle; then the pathways became smooth and paved and well taken care of as they approached the massive black, iron gates.

Sugawara stopped his chestnut stallion and began to speak to the guards in charge of the gates. One glanced his way and immediately bowed down low when Sugawara told them who he was. “W-Welcome to Direwood, Your Highness! Please enjoy your stay!”

Oikawa tilted his chin up, ignoring the guard. Sugawara uttered a soft apology before they were ushered inside. The gates groaned shut behind them.

When they were led to the stables, Oikawa slipped down from the saddle. He waved away the offered help with a glare. “I do hope the guest chambers are comfortable.”

The inexperienced guard who was guiding them didn’t know what to say. He flinched and bowed. “I,” the guard paused for a moment before continuing, “I am sure they will be to your liking.”

Sugawara lightly elbowed Oikawa before dipping his head. “I’m sure they will be wonderful.”

“Would you please show us the way there.” Oikawa snapped his fingers, signaling for another guard to hurry over and grab Jasper’s reins.

“Yes, of course Sir. Right this way.” The guard answered and straightened. They quickly turned around and began to walk off. Oikawa found it quite annoying that he had to jog to catch up, so he scowled and began to complain.

“There’s so much mud here- My poor boots! Oh it’s going to get stuck in my good cloak too- Ugh this isn’t very good conditions for my clothing.”

Sugawara’s top lip twitched as Oikawa continued droning on and on all the way to the entrance of the castle.

“Welcome to Direwood, Prince Oikawa.” A new voice rang out clearly from ahead of them. When Oikawa looked up, he had to pause in his walking to steady himself. Dark olive eyes matched perfectly with spiky black hair.. a perfectly shaped nose.. the way _his_ eyes were rounded out then came to a sharp point at the corner. He was.. gorgeous.

“Th-Thank you, Prince Iwaizumi.” Oikawa stuttered out, blinking rapidly as if struggling to believe what he saw before him. He dipped into a tiny bow, sucking in a deep breath to control his flushing face.

Iwaizumi pulled a confused face. “Is something the matter?”

Oikawa thought back to his million complaints, standing upright again while refusing to meet Iwaizumi’s gaze. “Not at the moment.” He answered slowly.

Iwaizumi tossed a look at Sugawara, who was still positioned in a low bow. “It is a pleasure to be staying here, Prince Iwaizumi. Thank you for having us.”

Oikawa finally got a hold of his thoughts and squared his shoulders. Another mask of his true feelings came. He eyed Iwaizumi coldly, but remained silent. Iwaizumi found it odd how the commander, rather than the prince, had said those lines. It was custom in Direwood that the royal figures themselves gave their thanks. He guessed it must be different for Divini.

“Of course.. Kindaichi, kindly show our guests to their chambers. We will meet again in the evening for dinner, Prince Oikawa. I hope it will be fitting to your tastes.”

Oikawa gave a curt nod. “We’ll see. Come on Sugawara.” He said in a monotonous voice, trying to seem bored by the interaction between him and the handsome prince in front of him.

The guard, who Iwaizumi called Kindaichi, led them around Iwaizumi and up the stairs. Oikawa decided upon waiting until he got to his room to let all of his surprise out.

Sugawara shut the door behind them once Kindaichi was gone. He explained that he would return later to show them to the dining area for dinner. Oikawa had just sniffed and turned his face away.

Oikawa’s eyes scanned the room. Kindaichi had been right, it was everything he wanted and more. On the left wall was a queen sized bed, fitted with light blue sheets and a thick white quilt. A plethora of light blue pillows covered the oak headboard.

In front of Oikawa was a wide oak desk. He guessed it was to match the oak of the bed and nightstand. Upon it was a candle, papers, and a quill.

Directly to the right was two white French doors, the glass windows giving sight to a wide balcony. When Oikawa went to open the doors, he spotted a small pond directly below. His eyes glimmered against the sunset. “They sure know how to show off.”

Sugawara ran a hand through his hair, pushing the silver bangs from his eyes. “It is quite beautiful here. And that bed looks as soft as feathers. Shall I test it out for you?”

“Get out of here, you have your own! I’m planning on taking a nice _long_ bath. The mud is soaking into my beautiful skin and it needs to be washed out immediately.”

“I’ll be outside then. Try not to be too loud.” Sugawara smiled sweetly and turned. “Oh and don’t forget to look your best. You have to leave a lasting impression.”

Oikawa entered the room again, locking the balcony doors. “Of course. Now get out.” He waved his hand and glared. Sugawara did as he was instructed with no further comments.

Once he knew Sugawara was going to leave him alone, he started to prepare himself for a bath. The servants had previously tried to draw one for him but he dismissed them and decided he could do it himself.

The guards had brought up his things while he was still being introduced to Iwaizumi and he found it quite helpful now as he reached for a bundle of clothes.

What he picked out was a clean, light grey suit with golden buttons and matching epaulets. Instead of golden being the color of the detailing, it was now teal. It ran along the sleeves in three lines by the cuff, and down the front of the jacket where the buttons sat.

He stripped off his clothes and got into the bath when it was ready.

——————————

Iwaizumi sat upon a small stool in his room, rubbing his hands together. He was still thinking about the way Oikawa had looked at him.

_He really was handsome. Those “rumors” were true.._

Iwaizumi shook his head, tossing a look up at the man standing in front of him. That man was Atsumu Miya.

Atsumu smirked and tossed his head to the side, successfully getting the strands of his dark blond hair out of his eyes. “Yer blushin’. I just _knew_ ye were thinkin’ of a girl!”

Iwaizumi squinted. “I am not. I just- remembered something embarrassing.” He mumbled, unsure of his answer. Atsumu caught on and turned so his back was facing Iwaizumi. He looked out the window.

“So we’re havin’ dinner ‘n thirty minutes. How’re we gonna be seated again?” He asked while keeping his back to the prince.

“We’re going to have commanders together and royalty together, Atsumu. Why are you asking this for the fourth time?”

“Because I just wanna make sure I remember! Sheesh-“

Iwaizumi huffed out a breath and stood. “Of course.” He turned to look at himself in the mirror, straightening out his jacket.

He was now wearing a light blue suit with silver buttons and decorative epaulets. It also had a red tie and a light blue Inverness cape- with silver trimming and a red inside- to make it known he was in charge here.

He clicked his tongue. “I’m going on a short walk, then we’ll go to the dining area. I’ll meet you here again.” He glided out once Atsumu gave a clear understanding of his words.

Iwaizumi found his feet were leading him towards the northern gardens, where they kept light blue, white, and even light purple camellias, dendrobium orchids, and wisterias; all his favorite types of flowers although he leaned towards the white and blue dendrobium- the ones with the petals going from blue and fading into the white at the tips of the petals.

The white symbolized “elegance” and “reverence” while the blue symbolized “power, beauty, and peace.” All these easily described Iwaizumi. He was known for the amount of power he held among the stronger kingdoms, as well as how deeply he respected things around him.

He let himself crouch by one dendrobium plant, gently running a finger along a silky petal. His eyes closed as he ran through the plans for dinner.

——————————

Oikawa followed Kindaichi to the dining area, eyes narrowing as he inspected every little detail of the castle he could manage. He was trying to nitpick but found there was nothing he could use to do so.

Two guards bowed before pushing open the grand doors for Oikawa, planting their gazes on their boots. Oikawa sucked in a deep breath and stepped inside.

There were three people inside so far: Iwaizumi, Ushijima, and Aone. Iwaizumi was seated at the head of the table, talking quietly to Ushijima who was on his right. Aone was seated at Ushijima’s left side, having been watching the two talking with clear interest. As soon as Oikawa entered, their gazes all shifted up to him.

Oikawa grinned at Iwaizumi, who offered a weak smile in return. Ushijima and Aone’s faces remained emotionless.

“I hope you three weren’t thinking of starting without me.” Oikawa hummed and moved to the empty seat at Iwaizumi’s left side.

“Of course not, Oikawa. And even if we wanted to, we have to wait for Kuroo to arrive. He was always fond of being fashionably late.” Iwaizumi answered and turned his head in Ushijima’s direction once again. They resumed their previous conversation. Oikawa found he could not follow along because he did not understand.

Five minutes dragged along before Kuroo strolled into the room. He plopped into the unoccupied seat at Oikawa’s left side.

“Nice of you to join us Kuroo,” Ushijima commented while Oikawa turned his head to the messy-haired man. Kuroo hummed and leaned back in his seat heavily. Oikawa noted his awful posture.

“I got caught up with a bath. It wasn’t prepared in time so therefore I was a little late. I’m sure it didn’t harm your precious conversations here though.” He shot Ushijima a pointed glare.

Ushijima turned his head to Aone and they exchanged some sort of silent agreement without speaking; speaking only with their facial expressions.

Oikawa looked down at Iwaizumi, shifting in his seat. “I thought the food was supposed to be served?” He lightly tilted his head, eyes narrowed once again.

Iwaizumi nodded. “It will be soon. You just have to be a little more patient.”

Oikawa sniffed and leaned back, crossing his arms. “. . Of course.”

Kuroo glanced between them for a moment, resting his chin on his hand. The corners of his lips turned up in a smirk. “So what have you two been up to?” All formal conversation went out the window with Kuroo present.

Iwaizumi shrugged. “Recently I’ve been riding more, as well as hunting small game.” His gaze drifted over to Oikawa’s once again. Oikawa tried to seem annoyed by it, but in reality he was screaming internally at the fact this hot prince kept looking over at him.

“And you?” Kuroo poked a slender finger at Oikawa’s shoulder.

“Uh- Well, I’ve been practicing more with archery.” He answered, noticing Ushijima begin to lean closer in interest.

“Oh? Longbow, crossbow-?” Ushijima cut in. Oikawa shot him a scowl.

“. . . Longbow.” Oikawa crossed his right leg over his left under the table.

Ushijima nodded and was about to say something until being cut off by the sound of doors opening. Each one of the royals turned their head to look. Oikawa seemed the happiest about the sight of food; whether it be because he was starving or it made him able to get out of conversing with Ushijima was unknown. Maybe it was both.

Roasted quail with mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans were piled onto their plates. Ushijima dug in almost instantly, using little to no manners. Oikawa shook his head discreetly and quietly ate his own portion.

Ushijima went back to talking with Aone and Iwaizumi while Kuroo tried to talk with Oikawa but every conversation was shut down almost immediately. He was _not_ in the mood to speak with Kuroo; only to eat and go right to sleep.

When they finished their meals, Kuroo left first, followed by Aone and then Ushijima. Oikawa pushed himself up and sighed, bowing his head. He was too tired to pretend to be mean anymore. “Thank you for the meal.”

“It.. It was my pleasure, Oikawa.” Iwaizumi stood as well.

“Hm.. I don’t know if it’s too much to ask, but could you show me back to my room?”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened. “Is there something wrong with Kindaichi?” Oikawa slightly shook his head. “No, he just thinks too loud. I’d prefer your company to his if it was possible.”

Iwaizumi gave a hesitant nod, not quite understanding what Oikawa’s complaint meant. “If you want, I guess I could.” He guided Oikawa out the doors.

They got halfway to the room. Oikawa stared down at Iwaizumi, eyes glimmering. He didn’t care about the two guards trailing after them. “So, Iwa-Chan, I’m glad to have been able to talk with you.” The tiredness was rubbing away to reveal his attitude.

“Iwa-Chan? Where did that come from?” Iwaizumi asked, a light blush dusting his ears and neck. He was glad the hallways were dim to mask it.

“Oh.. I just like giving nicknames to everyone I suppose.” Oikawa stated smoothly. They went into a comfortable silence.

When they arrived at Oikawa’s chambers, Iwaizumi reached for the doorknob. He held open the door for Oikawa.

“I see. Well, I hope you sleep well Oiks- I- I mean Oikawa.” He winced at the misspoken name.

Oikawa just flashed a grin and went inside. “Goodnight Iwa-Chan.”

Iwaizumi shut the door slowly and blew out a breath. Even the little exchange had felt welcome.. new.. and yet oh so wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to post another chapter! Over break I had gotten busy and didn’t get to write- but here it is now! I hope you guys enjoy

Iwaizumi hummed as he made his way down to the dining hall for breakfast. He had gotten an amazing rest last night after thinking about the nickname Oikawa had given him; how it rolled right off his tongue in a silky smooth voice.

_ Iwa-Chan. _

__ Iwaizumi couldn’t help smiling to himself as he thought about it. One of the most feared men in the castle had  _ really  _ given him such a nickname. And in such a soft voice too!

As Iwaizumi pondered, the grand doors of the dining hall were opened for him. He spotted Aone and Kuroo quietly talking and his eyebrows raised.

“You two are already here? Why, if I knew you would come so early I would’ve had breakfast served sooner.” Iwaizumi’s smile faded into its usual serious frown.

Kuroo shook his head, looking up. “There’s no need. I ordered the servants to make us a little snack while we waited.” He gestured towards a large, clay bowl with arranged fruits in front of them. There were still two small bunches of grapes and a few orange slices. “Plus, we just came to talk.”

“And you preferred to talk in here instead of in the Cabinet room-?” Iwaizumi’s thin black eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

“We did not know if the room was off limits to us without you present.” Aone said as if it was obvious. He stared, unblinking, at Iwaizumi. It surprised Iwaizumi when Aone spoke because he had never been talked to directly by him before.

“Oh.. I see. Well, for further notice you are allowed in the Cabinet room to talk at any time. The servants are less likely to bother you there.”

Aone and Kuroo nodded. “Thank you.” Aone stated and turned his face to Kuroo once again. Kuroo still stared at Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi looked over his shoulder when he heard two sets of footsteps, one heavy and one light. Oikawa was walking along with Sugawara at his side. They seemed to be arguing about something in hushed whispers.

“Good morning Oikawa.” Iwaizumi said, his clear voice cutting through their whispers. Oikawa looked forward in obvious surprise. “Oh- Prince Iwaizumi. Good morning.” He lifted his chin slightly.

Iwaizumi masked his disappointment at the formality of the greeting. “Are you coming to join us for breakfast? I was just about to tell the servants to serve it.”

“Yes, I will shortly.” Oikawa discreetly elbowed Suga in the ribs before sweeping past Iwaizumi. Suga frowned and bowed to Iwaizumi before jogging after Oikawa.

Iwaizumi huffed and crossed his arms, watching Oikawa slip around a corner.

_ He just seems so.. strange. And the nickname- I guess it was just an accident last night. I better not call him Oiks.. _

Iwaizumi once again entered the room and sunk down into a chair. He drummed his fingers against the wooden armrest while listening to the two fellow royals speak. He began to zone out almost instantly as they discussed improved trading deals.

_ Later everyone can go hunting with me.. Wait, no. Even a short trip may take up to two days and preparations for the ball begin tomorrow morning. Then perhaps a short horseback ride around? Or even sparring.. yes, sparring. Then I can see how well Ushijima fights to give some new insight to Akaashi. And Oikawa.. I’ll keep his pretty face around. He’s known to be alright at fighting and I’d like to see for myself. Just me and him.. _

_ Him with his chocolate hair and perfectly styled curls. The way his form would perfectly— _

__ He was shaken from his thoughts by a hand slamming down onto his left shoulder. “Prince Iwaizumi, you seem to not be paying too much attention.” Ushijima’s deep voice rang out clearly. Iwaizumi flinched at the loud voice.

“Ah, apologies, King Ushijima.” He turned his face up to see the king clearly. Ushijima had a strongly defined jawline with tanned skin, long scars running along his left cheek and above his right eyebrow. From up close, Iwaizumi could see the maroon irises in Ushijima’s sharp eyes- He had thought they were brown from afar but a view from this close proved otherwise. A light, almost mischievous glint was set in Ushijima’s gaze as the corner of his mouth lifted up into a tiny smirk.

“What was so interesting that you missed a whole conversation that was centered around you?” Oikawa’s voice surprised Iwaizumi. He didn’t realize he had slipped into the room. He looked over and found Oikawa tilting his head with a sly smile spread across his face.

“I- Was deciding how to spend our day,” Iwaizumi answered quickly, clearing his throat. A light blush burned the tips of his ears.

Oikawa noticed the blush and his smile widened. “With a blush like that? Oh please- You’re practically turning into a tomato!” He laughed hard. Iwaizumi’s face flushed more and he dipped his head. “I really was only thinking of our plans. I just happened to remember something embarrassing I had done..” Iwaizumi seemed uncertain of his answer.

Oikawa slumped back in his chair, eyeing Iwaizumi. He spoke again. “I’d love to know what it was you ‘remembered’.”

Ushijima took his hand off of Iwaizumi’s shoulder and moved to sit at his right side. “Or just tell us the plans. It would be a lot faster.”

Oikawa let out a short huff. “That’s no fun though.”

Aone crossed his arms. “I think we should know how our day will go. We can discuss other things over breakfast.”

Oikawa let the displeasure cross his face for just a few seconds before going back to his annoyingly cheerful and sarcastic attitude. He turned to chat with Kuroo and Iwaizumi had to hide his frown behind a hand.

Ushijima stared down at Iwaizumi, studying every little move. If the emotions would show, he seemed  _ fascinated  _ by every little thing Iwaizumi did. One thing Ushijima’s actions did give away was his respect for Iwaizumi. Ushijima wanted to get closer for personal benefits as well as worldly things.

“I’ve decided we will eat breakfast then take a quick horseback ride to a further training area than the one here at the castle. Yes, it is far, but it provides us privacy and keeps away the newer guards.” Iwaizumi lifted his head again, meeting Ushijima’s gaze. “And let your guards come with you this time. It’s large enough for us all.”

Kuroo hummed. “Is that really all we’ll be doing?”

Iwaizumi shrugged. “Unless you can think of something better to do. It’s either that or staying here all day.”

“Mm.. I’m alright with going.” Kuroo shrugged and looked over to the doors. He went completely silent.

“Good.” Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa again. He seemed deep in thought, eyes trained on Iwaizumi already. When he noticed they met gazes he shot him another smile. Iwaizumi’s stomach began to do flips.

“Is this how we show off now? Just to each other?” Oikawa asked, drumming his fingers along the armrest of his chair. “Or is it a way to figure out each other’s strengths?”

Iwaizumi stared, not realizing Oikawa would figure out his plan so easily. “It’s simply for fun.” He said in a hesitant voice, leaning himself forward in his chair. “I’ve heard you’re rather.. mediocre at fighting and I was thinking I may be able to give you some tips.”

Oikawa’s eyes flashed with an unknown emotion. “Give  _ me  _ tips? I do not need them, thank you.” He rolled his eyes. Iwaizumi scrunched up his nose. “Do you really not take criticism that well? How petty.”

Oikawa’s silence made Iwaizumi suddenly think over his choice of words. He decided it was better to drop it and tell the servants to bring in the food. He waved his hand to a short maid standing in the corner of the room. “Please bring the food in.”

She dipped into a curtsy before hurrying out of the room to carry out the order.

Iwaizumi sighed and let his mind cross to Akaashi and their plan. How well would he actually be able to pull it off?

——————————

Ushijima’s boots clicked loudly against the floor as he made his way to Oikawa’s chambers. He stared directly ahead of him, his face set into its usual emotionless state. He moved with purpose.

His second-in-command struggled to keep up with Ushijima in the unfamiliar castle. “K-King Ushijima, please, we need to ask someone where to go-“ Shirabu was cut off with a mere “tch” from Ushijima.

“I know exactly where I’m going. You just need to pay attention.” His blunt response caused Shirabu to purse his lips.

“Of course, my King.”

The hallways seemed to go on forever, or perhaps it was just that Ushijima had no clue which direction he was supposed to be going. This didn’t stop the search. Ushijima  _ needed  _ to speak to Oikawa. Yes, it wouldn’t be pleasant but if he managed to get Oikawa’s family to his side.. they could win.

“Go find Tendou,” Ushijima commanded coldly, “and tell him to find me in the courtyard. I’d like to discuss something with him.” He carefully chose his words, not knowing who might be listening. His left eye twitched.

“Yes, my King. Shall I have Goshiki stay with you until I return?”

“Absolutely not.” Ushijima shot Shirabu a sharp look. “I can handle myself just fine. Now, do as I told you.”

Shirabu dipped into a bow before he was turning around to find Ushijima’s top advisor.

Ushijima blew out a sigh and stopped in the middle of a hallway. A few servants slipped past him frantically, only stopping for mere seconds to bow and show respect to the Royal.

He pushed forward once again in search of Oikawa. His feet led him up one more flight of stairs- although he already went up three- and he spotted Oikawa strolling through the hall. He was talking to one of the servants, his gestures wild and out of control although he wasn’t angry. Maybe it was just the way he moved.

“Prince Oikawa.” Ushijima raised his voice as he made his way over to Oikawa. Oikawa ducked his head slightly in surprise at the sudden sound of Ushijima’s deep voice. He turned around to face Ushijima fully.

“Um- King Ushijima.. Hello?” Oikawa squinted his eyes at Ushijima. He was already beginning to make up a nickname. He wanted to be annoying again.

“Yes hello.” Ushijima dismissed the servant that Oikawa was talking to, ignoring Oikawa’s annoyance.

“I wasn’t done with-“

“I’ve come to speak with you about something much more important than a bath.” Ushijima cut into Oikawa’s sentence with a sharp glare. “But we cannot discuss it in the hallway. Lead me to your chambers”

Oikawa didn’t appreciate the command, straightening his posture to try and make himself as tall as possible. He lifted his chin and glowered up at Ushijima. “And what if I refuse? Being alone with you isn’t exactly the most ideal situation.”

“I think you’d agree if you understood the.. urgency.” Ushijima’s voice went low in warning.

Oikawa’s eyebrows furrowed as he thought it over. “I’ll pass.”

There was a glint of light against metal before Oikawa felt a sharp pressure against the side of his neck. He took a step back in surprise, bumping into an unlit lantern and knocking it to the floor. He didn’t dare look down to it, lifting his head further up to try and avoid being cut.

“ _ I dare say it again… show me to your chambers so we can discuss. This is  _ not  _ a request.”  _ Ushijima whispered against Oikawa’s ear, making him freeze up.

“I- Alright, alright- Put the knife away.” He hissed, hearing footsteps approaching from the staircase. Ushijima did so quickly, although he looked as if he hadn’t moved his arms at all. Oikawa put a hand to his neck and shook his head. He turned around and moved forward, having the intention to lead Ushijima to his chambers.

“Prince Oikawa! And King Ushijima-?” Iwaizumi wondered if he was too late to stop an alliance.

Oikawa’s shoulders relaxed and he only swiveled his head in Iwaizumi’s direction. “Ah- Prince Iwaizumi, how nice of you to join us!”

Ushijima hadn’t turned around yet and out of the corner of his eye, Oikawa could see Ushijima glaring at Oikawa’s back. He also saw the same metal glint again at Ushijima’s belt and he held in a breath.

“Mm I suppose. Where are you two off to? It’s almost time to leave for the training area.” An unknown figure stepped up beside Iwaizumi. Their black hair curled over their eyes and made them seem mysterious. 

Even though they carried an intimidating aura, the person was still absolutely  _ gorgeous _ . They lifted their gaze to meet Oikawa’s and he was surprised by the shocking blue of his irises.

“Well, I.. was just about to try and find my way to the library.” Oikawa lied, staying in place. Ushijima scowled slightly before turning around to face Iwaizumi and the newcomer. “And I was roaming through the halls and decided to come along.”

Iwaizumi frowned softly. “Well there’s no time now. Akaashi,” He snapped his fingers. The newcomer dipped into a bow. “If you two would kindly follow me. We are to meet down in the great hall before departing.”

Oikawa could hardly contain his relief. “Let’s go then.” He quickly brushed past Ushijima, not wanting to be even remotely close to the strong man.

Ushijima made a move to follow and Akaashi turned around. He tossed Iwaizumi a worried look. Iwaizumi gently caught hold of Oikawa’s wrist. “We’ll meet you two downstairs. I’d like to speak to Prince Oikawa for a few minutes.”

Oikawa bit his tongue as he watched Ushijima and Akaashi slip down the stairs. He didn’t release a breath until they were completely out of his sight.

“What exactly do you want from me?” Oikawa asked. He made no move to pull his wrist out of Iwaizumi’s grip.

Iwaizumi sighed softly. “You’re shaking. What exactly was he saying to you?” He still kept a gentle grip around Oikawa’s wrist.

“I- We were discussing.. A possible trade deal between our natural resources. He almost yelled and I guess it startled me.” Oikawa tried to lie, licking his lips.

“If that was all, you wouldn’t be shaking this much.” He squeezed Oikawa’s wrist and kept his gaze on Oikawa’s face. Oikawa looked like he was struggling to find an excuse.

“I get startled easily,” he began, “and I have.. bad memories of being yelled at so they tend to make me-“

“You don’t have to lie, you know. I’m not going to hurt you for whatever you say.”

“And why should I trust you?” Oikawa asked. He looked down at Iwaizumi’s hand and finally noticed his own shaking. He let out a slow breath.

“Because you know harming you isn’t my intention. I just want to know if Ushijima did anything to you. He can be pushy and will do anything he can to get what he wants. I’d like to know if he tried to pull something so we can be more cautious.”

Iwaizumi’s gaze traced over Oikawa’s shuddering form. He felt bad for whatever had happened.

“I.. Appreciate the concern, Iwa-Chan.” Oikawa whispered. He squeezed his hand into a fist and met Iwaizumi’s gaze once again. His eyes stared deep into Iwaizumi’s.

“He just.. wanted to tell me about something he called important. Then he pulled a knife out when I didn’t agree and..” He raised his free hand to his neck. He wondered if Iwaizumi would think he was dumb for being this shaken up from a situation that didn’t even leave him wounded.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t do it again, I’m sorry it had to happen.” Iwaizumi muttered and squeezed Oikawa’s wrist again. “Keep a guard with you at all times, or even your commander. It may ward off any similar events if he knows you have someone around.”

Oikawa gave a small nod in understanding and broke his wrist free of Iwaizumi’s hand. “Of course, I’ll be more careful in the future.” He forced his legs to move down the stairs.

Iwaizumi had a million thoughts race through his head as he jogged to catch up to the taller prince. “Do.. you at least know what he was trying to discuss with you?” He was hesitant to ask. Oikawa huffed, shaking his head.

“He never said. All he said was that we should go to my chambers and no one else was allowed to hear. I was even in the middle of talking to a servant!” Oikawa scoffed.

“Well like I said, be more on guard around him. You know he’s dangerous.” Iwaizumi caught up to Oikawa, thinking about grabbing his wrist again. He stopped himself and looked around.

They walked in silence until they made it down to the great hall. Everyone was already waiting for them and Oikawa frowned when he didn’t see Sugawara around. He bit his tongue.

Iwaizumi gently pat Oikawa’s shoulder before moving past him to talk to Atsumu. Oikawa watched them warily, moving to take hold of his wrist nervously, not knowing why he missed Iwaizumi’s touch. He met Ushijima’s gaze from across the room by accident and swallowed. He had a reputation to uphold.

He squared his shoulders and watched Aone out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to be talking to a shorter man with brown hair that came slightly over his right eye as uneven bangs. Oikawa wondered how the guy could walk around with such horrible looking hair.

He noticed the guy was also wearing armor and a long, dark green cape. He recognized the Jernvegg coat of arms on the breastplate of his armor and sighed. So this man was the commander.. he really looked like he could beat you up in a heartbeat.

Iwaizumi cleared his throat and the room fell silent so he could speak.

“We should be leaving now. Guards have prepared our horses outside for departure.” He waved his arm and turned around to lead everyone outside. 

Guards flanked Iwaizumi as soon as he was outside of the castle. He was hardly bothered by their presence as he pushed ahead to the stables. One thing he  _ did  _ notice was how Oikawa was completely alone, walking slightly to the left of Iwaizumi’s back. His chin was lifted and he walked with great elegance.

Iwaizumi slowed so he was beside the fellow prince; his guard moved to be on Oikawa’s other side.

“Oiks.. where is your commander?” He asked softly. “You being out here with no protection isn’t a great choice.”

Oikawa’s head turned quickly to Iwaizumi. He blinked. “Did you call me- Never mind. And I really do not know where he is, but I’ll have to get onto him for it later. Aren’t the rest of our guards waiting in the stables for us though? I should be alright.”

Iwaizumi shrugged, turning away to hide his light blush. He hadn’t meant to call Oikawa the nickname. “If you say so.”

——————————

The ride to the training area had taken almost an hour. They had to cross rocky terrain and had gone around a large creek to stay dry.

When they arrived, Iwaizumi jumped down from his horse and stretched, grunting quietly. He gripped the reins and walked forward. The group emerged into a large clearing, surrounded completely by humongous pine trees. There was a large, brown leather tent to their immediate left and when the breeze would shift the flaps it would give sight to a wide array of weapons inside.

Iwaizumi led his horse to a shaded area and tied the reins onto a wooden post. The others followed and did the same.

Kuroo smirked and elbowed Oikawa in the ribs. “So are you gonna show off your skills with that longbow? You’ve been promising to show me.”

Oikawa slapped a hand against his back before breezing past him. “I don’t think I promised, but you won’t stop whining until I show them off so I might as well. It’ll also help boost my ego!” He grinned and made his way into the tent after hearing Kuroo chuckle.

He looked around at the racks of weapons and reached for a large longbow and a quiver of arrows. Each arrow had little carvings along the shafts, deeply engraved in so they would not wear away easily. Oikawa hummed in admiration, although wondering why someone would bother making them look so beautiful when they may break or get lost.

Ushijima followed him in but remained silent. He inspected a rack of swords. Oikawa’s skin prickled in nervousness, feeling the hair at the back of his neck rise. He moved quickly out of the tent when he had chosen a bow.

Iwaizumi crossed his arms and watched the other royals choose weapons. 

Kuroo seemed eager to spar, licking his lips while twirling a dagger around. The hilt was a dark red with deep grooves and a black pommel. The blade itself was also a slick black, signature work of Yaku Haiba, one of Kattene’s most popular blacksmiths and also Lev Haiba’s husband. He would be seen as king if Kuroo wasn’t the decoy king for their Kingdom of Kattene.

Aone had chosen a longsword with a black hilt, humming in thought as he pulled it out of its red and white metal scabbard and inspected it. Aone was known for being skilled with a spear and shield; he had found a way to use his shield as a weapon as much as others used swords as weapons. Since he was also trying to expand his skills into swords, he had chosen a heavier longsword to begin.

Ushijima grabbed a long knight sword, tightening his hold against the purple hilt. He rubbed his thumb along the rounded silver pommel and huffed. Iwaizumi could see him watching Oikawa out of the corner of his eye, his lips pressed into a thin line. Iwaizumi frowned worriedly and looked around at the guards.

One specific vice commander by the name of Bokuto Koutarou was making his way over to the tent with a grin, hands on his hips. He was stopped beside the entrance by a certain fiery-haired male, who grabbed his arm and pulled him behind the tent. “Aren’t you the famous Bokuto the Brave? The one who led Jernvegg to victory in the Battle of Medellia?”

Bokuto’s chest swelled with pride and he nodded. “Yes, that’s me! But- who are you? Aren’t we supposed to be training?” He asked, tossing a glance over his shoulder.

Tendou shook his head. “This’ll be quick, I swear. I just wanted to let you know I heard a little something about your king.. Aone, right?” He tilted his head forward.

Bokuto’s eyebrows furrowed but he nodded. “Yes, Aone is the king. What are you bringing him into this for?”

Tendou chuckled. “Because I heard he’s thinking about slaughtering the other kingdoms to gain full control!” Bokuto’s eyes widened in horror. When he was about to argue, Tendou put his finger to his lips. “I’m sorry, that might’ve been a bit harsh but it’s true, no matter what you think. Your dearest king lives up to his brutish nature after all!”

Bokuto blinked, unable to tell if Tendou was lying or not. He didn’t want to believe it but.. he  _ was  _ very gullible. “Even if.. He was planning on it, I have to stand by his side. He  _ is  _ my king after all.”

Tendou laughed heartily. “You think he’ll keep you alive? He’s power hungry and-“

“What seems to be the problem?” Akaashi cut in, poking his head from around the side of the tent. He slowly emerged so he was fully showing. Bokuto didn’t even try to hide his awe of the man.

“We- We were just speaking! Nothing to make a fuss over.” Tendou held up his hands in submission, eyes widening as he recognized Akaashi’s soft face.

“And trying to get this man here to go against his ruler? Just speaking my ass.” Akaashi sighed and looked up at Bokuto. “Come on, don’t mind Tendou here. He likes to spread gossip as much as possible.”

Bokuto nodded slightly and stared down at Akaashi, his mouth slightly agape. “O-Okay! I’m sorry!” His face flushed.

Akaashi led him to a clear area so they could spar, whispering to him that everything Tendou said was false and he shouldn’t believe it. Bokuto remembered the words of his old mentor.

_ Stay loyal to your king, Bokuto. Don’t let your walls fall. _

_ —————————— _

Oikawa hummed as he drew his bow, closing one eye to aim at the target ahead of him. He let go of the string and watched the arrow sink into the center of the small red circle. He smirked and nocked another arrow into place.

“How did you learn to shoot so well?” Iwaizumi asked after a few peaceful moments of just watching Oikawa. He was standing to the right of him, watching each arrow fall into place perfectly on each target.

“I watched my older sister do it once when I was 5. That’s when I decided I wanted to be able to beat her at it.” He cocked his head to the right. “If only she could see me now.”

“Well, your hard work paid off eh?” Iwaizumi kept his arms folded over his chest. “You’re the best archer I’ve ever seen. It.. Is really amazing to watch.”

“I hope you don’t want a lesson because I’m not going to give it to you.” Oikawa said sharply before sending another arrow flying. This time, it buried itself deep into the center and broke through the back.

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened in surprise. “But- It’s not like it would hurt you to provide me with some tips.” He stared at the target still. Oikawa turned to face him and placed a hand on his hip, his other hand still gripping the large bow.

“It very much would hurt me, Iwa-Chan.” Oikawa huffed out. “I need all the time I can get to get even better and helping someone  _ else  _ begin to learn would not boost my skills at all.”

“It would boost your people skills. And help you be less of a bitch about everything that doesn’t center around you.” Iwaizumi said simply before walking to the targets, pulling each arrow out. He struggled to get the arrow out of the target that had broken and sighed. Oikawa merely watched him struggle, eyes narrowed in thought.

Iwaizumi eventually pulled the arrow out, running his hand over the hole with a deep frown. He waved one of his guards over. “Please replace this target for us.”

The guard nodded, bowed, then began to take the target away. Iwaizumi made his way back to Oikawa, offering the arrows to him. “You’re welcome.”

“If that was to prove a point, it didn’t work.” Oikawa snatched the arrows away and placed them in the quiver at his side.

“It was just to be nice. I recommend you try it sometime.” He patted Oikawa’s shoulder and started off again. He wanted to spar Ushijima now. Oikawa silently fumed as he was left behind by the handsome prince.

“King Ushijima, mind if I spar with you?” Iwaizumi had walked up to Ushijima’s side. He watched the king shift the sword in his hands. Ushijima eventually nodded. “I don’t see why not.”

Iwaizumi pulled his own sword out of it’s white metal scabbard. Ushijima’s eyes traced over the navy leather detailing, crossed in two X shapes at the top while the tip was covered in a black metal covering.

Ushijima followed Iwaizumi to another clear area, taking off his cloak and throwing it to the side. He turned his back to Iwaizumi for a second and his back muscles flexed.

Iwaizumi exhaled slowly, preparing himself in case Ushijima would immediately go as intensely as possible. Iwaizumi would be prepared, having had it happen to him many times with the result of him easily beating his opponents. He was strong and calculated, unlike Ushijima who would mostly make hard movements and go for the kill with each strike.

Iwaizumi studied Ushijima for a few seconds before watching him turn around to face him. Ushijima dipped his head and moved first. He was quick, but his steps were heavy and he could only move his sword so fast.

Iwaizumi sidestepped and blocked Ushijima’s strike. He pushed it to the side and jumped back before Ushijima had a chance to strike again. Iwaizumi was beginning to get frustrated, realizing he didn’t have a clue how Ushijima would attack next.

Oikawa was watching them spar from afar, running his tongue along his teeth as he thought about what Iwaizumi had said. He huffed and looked around, spotting Makki across the clearing trying to convince someone to spar with him. He slipped over to find something better to do than watch Iwaizumi and Ushijima.

“Makki.” Oikawa said, lightly pulling on the back of Makki’s shirt to get his attention. Makki looked over and huffed, standing up straight. “Yes, Your Highness?”

Oikawa tossed a glance to the other guard, who Oikawa could see was actually Kindaichi when he got a better look. He scowled. “Come and shoot your bow. I want to see if you’ve improved your terrible skills.” He turned around on his heel and walked away before Makki could object.

As he passed by Iwaizumi again, he couldn’t help but be entranced by his somehow graceful fighting skills. The way he moved and fought fit his personality well; he had perfect timing and was quick with his movements.

He watched as Iwaizumi moved to parry a strike but was pushed back hard enough to send him to the ground on his back. He lost his grip on his sword and grunted, beginning to crawl backwards but Ushijima was faster. He had kicked away the sword and held the tip of his own sword to Iwaizumi’s chest.

“You fight a lot better than I expected.” Ushijima’s deep voice made Oikawa shudder. Iwaizumi was breathing heavily, nodding as he moved to get up.

Iwaizumi sheathed his sword and bowed. “Thank you for sparring with me.” Ushijima held his poker face as he bowed as well. “Of course. I’d like to do it again sometime.”

Oikawa scrunched up his nose and began to walk away again but Iwaizumi caught his arm. Oikawa tensed and remained looking ahead. “What do you want?” Iwaizumi made sure no one was really paying attention to them before he spoke.

Iwaizumi’s low whisper made Oikawa’s skin prickle. “Get back to the castle Oikawa. I have a bad feeling…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa basically just hangs around Iwaizumi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it took me so long! School’s been kicking my butt and I lost motivation for a little bit. But don’t worry, I’m going to try and work on chapter 5 a lot to get it out as soon as possible!

Oikawa felt his muscles tense involuntarily. “What?”

Iwaizumi huffed and nudged him in the side with his elbow. “Just start going back home. I’ll tell the others you weren’t feeling very well.”

“Then they could see me as weak. I think I’ll stay here, it’ll be fine.”

“I told you to go.” Iwaizumi stepped in front of Oikawa, broad shoulders straightening.

“And I told you I was staying. Why do you want me to go so badly anyway? Are you going to talk shit about me and don’t want me to find out?”

“Oikawa, don’t cause a scene.” Iwaizumi pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just have a really bad feeling and I think it has to do with Ushijima.”

Oikawa rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop from thinking about why Iwaizumi would suddenly have a bad feeling. “Fine, I guess. I’ll be able to bathe and strip all this dirt from my beautiful skin.” As Oikawa said this, he ran his nail down the palm of his hand to pull off dirt but only smudged it in deeper. He scowled.

“Yeah, see? Perfect. I’ll talk to you soon.” He pushed Oikawa’s chest with one hand to tell him to turn around and leave. Oikawa obliged, looking around to find his guards and take them with him.

Hanamaki brought over Oikawa’s horse and Oikawa swung himself up gracefully. “Talk to you later, Iwa-Chan~”

Iwaizumi shook his head at the singsong tone and turned around. “Yeah, bye Oiks.” He hid his feelings awfully for once, giving them away with the embarrassed shuffle he did as he walked off.

Oikawa smirked and followed his own guards out of the training area, rolling his shoulders to work out any tension.

“You called him Iwa-Chan?” Hanamaki suddenly asked.

“Yes, and what about it?”

“Well when you give someone a nickname it generally means you like them.. And he is definitely handsome~”

Oikawa pursed his lips as he chose what to say. “Yet I gave you and Mattsun nicknames. And you two make me want to tear some hair out. Specifically, Mattsun’s hair. Just so you can cry about him not being as handsome as you believe he is.”

“You know you love us.” He looked over his shoulder to stick out his tongue at the prince.

“Constantly wishing to have you executed is not a form of love I know.” Oikawa sniffed and met Hanamaki’s gaze. He dared the knight to make another smartass comeback.

He didn’t get one.

As they trudged on back to the castle, Oikawa couldn’t help thinking about how Iwaizumi only told  _ him  _ to leave. Either Iwaizumi wanted to keep Oikawa out of something, or he really did have a bad feeling and didn’t want Oikawa to be hurt. Not that he would’ve gotten hurt, he could protect himself well enough.. Or so he believed.

He shook his head lightly at his thoughts and raised his gaze when he heard his guards shifting in a more protective position around him. He looked around in confusion until he heard the sound of another horse’s hooves clicking against the rocky surface. He blinked.

Hanamaki straightened, pulling his sword out of its silver scabbard only slightly. “Who goes there? Speak your name and business.”

“I am Koushi Sugawara. I was told I have a very strange duty to protect the bitchy prince, I think name was Tooru Oikawa?” His soft voice dripped with sarcasm. Makki grinned. “It’s about time you showed up. Babysitting him alone isn’t easy.”

“You speak as if I’m not here. It’s bewildering how you can speak so lowly of me,  _ the Prince _ , without fearing for your lives! How dare you two?!” Oikawa sputtered. He tossed his head to the side to push his bangs from his eyes.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t understand your babbling, what was that?” Sugawara hummed, eyes glinting in mischief.

Hanamaki smirked and began to lead the group onwards again. “We only bully you cuz we care, Princey. Although if you let the thoughts get to your head I really wouldn’t care.”

Oikawa pinched the bridge of his nose. “Shut up. You two are giving me a headache already.”

“Glad to be of service!” Sugawara chirped. He clasped his hands tighter around the reins of his own horse.

Although he wore a deceiving mask of calmness, Oikawa could see something was truly bothering the commander. As an expert of hiding his own emotions, Oikawa could easily analyze things around him and tell what was wrong. What gave it away to him was the subtle slant of Sugawara’s brow, as well as the crinkle of his nose. Generally when Sugawara’s face looked like that, he was stressing and consciously trying to hide his thoughts. Oikawa pondered about what could be bothering Sugawara.

It was a long ride back, and boy was Oikawa glad to flop down onto the small sofa at the foot of his bed. He arched his back as he stretched. “Sugawara, why weren’t you present during training?”

The silver-haired male’s eyes came rushing over to Oikawa’s face. “I was attending to something here.”

“The whole day? And was it really more important than guarding me? You know, Ushijima managed to get around me alone and threatened me, Sugawara. He almost cut me.” Oikawa’s rising voice gave away his frustration.

“I thought I told Yahaba to stay with you whenever I was unable to?” Sugawara scowled. “Of course he’s slacking off, but now? Of all times? I cannot believe—“

“Sugawara I asked you a question.”

Sugawara dipped his head. “Right. I was actually trying to learn some background information about Ushijima and his advisor, Satori Tendou. It took up all of my time because there was a lot to unravel. On the surface he may seem like a well balanced and fair king, but in reality he is looking to unite whichever kingdoms he can and take over our lands. That must be why he threatened you earlier.”

“Seriously? I wouldn’t ever even think about crossing to his side- Him and their kingdom’s dumb eagle is just too boring and.. And his inability to even crack a simple joke. Ugh- He’s just too serious!”

“Are we done going over his bad qualities?” Sugawara asked. It wasn’t meant to be rude but it made Oikawa frustrated. He was in a bad mood now.

“For now. I’m still disappointed that you weren’t there this morning.”

“I said I was sorry. I do not know what else you expect from me. Plus, I told Yahaba to be there but he clearly wasn’t. I’ll have to get onto him yet again.”

“He’s probably in the stables hanging around the horses. You can yell at him or whatever, but I’m going to take a bath. Could you be a dear and fetch a maid for me?”

“Nope.” Sugawara’s silver bangs bounced as he turned.

“You’re lucky—“

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You say it every five minutes.” Sugawara waved his hand dismissively and stepped outside into the hallway. Oikawa narrowed his eyes as he rubbed dirt from his left forearm.

“He acts just like this dirt: he gets under my skin and won’t rub off easily.” He groaned and forced himself up from the plush sofa. There was a light knock on the door. “Come in,” Oikawa spoke.

A maid came in and bowed. “I was instructed to draw a bath for you, Your Highness.”

Oikawa raised an eyebrow. “Yes that would be delightful. I’m going to step out for a bit. When I return, my bath better be ready.” He slipped past the girl, who was now stiff most likely from fright, into the hallway. He was going to grab a book to read later before bed.

——————————

Iwaizumi stared at the roaring flames in utter silence.

He didn’t remember what happened; it was too blurry.

He jumped onto the back of his horse, wincing when he shifted his right leg to be more comfortable. There was a large, nasty burn on the outside of his right thigh that was only looking worse as he shifted around to try and get more comfortable.

Muffled yelling and people running around were making it hard to focus. His vision clouded and he leaned forward slightly, clutching at his head with one hand.

“Yer Highness!” Iwaizumi tilted his head to the left to try and see who was calling him. He saw Atsumu was fighting his way through the swarm of guards to reach his prince, eyes wide in shock. “Let’s get ye out of ‘ere, alright? Just try and stay upright. I’ll be at yer side the whole way!”

Iwaizumi couldn’t think of a time when he was more grateful for the commander. Iwaizumi gave a brief nod in understanding and forced himself upright on the saddle. His head throbbed and he could only smell smoke. It felt like it was choking him.

Atsumu gently pat Iwaizumi’s left knee before he ran off to fetch his horse. Iwaizumi could only think about getting his wound checked out. The pain was beginning to be unbearable and he didn’t want to deal with it more than he had to.

He took in a shaky breath and Atsumu led him away from the burning training area. He tossed a look over his shoulder and instantly regretted it.

Kuroo was being dragged out of the flames by three soldiers, badly burned. Aone was doubled over and coughing to the side. His commander, Futakuchi, was fighting against guards holding him on the ground as they tried to at least somewhat bandage his burns. Aone could only watch, forehead creased and eyes squinted to show his worry.

Ushijima was the only one who didn’t seem to be too fazed. Then again, he always hid his emotions with that unbothered expression. He was leaning down in front of Tendou, gripping his shoulders and trying to make sure he was okay. Iwaizumi found himself surprised at the fact Ushijima was caring about someone. He had just assumed the man was unable to show emotions at all.

Iwaizumi forced himself ahead.

_ I do not want to see this. This was not what was supposed to happen. Will we be able to keep the peace now? _

__ His eyelids drooped and he rubbed at his face, coughing harshly. “A-Atsumu. What are we going to do?” His voice was raspy and he didn’t even realize his hand was clutching at his sore throat.

“First we need to get to the castle and make sure yer wound gets properly taken care of. We can decide on how to approach this.. situation after.” Atsumu closed his eyes and turned his head up to the sky.

They lapsed into silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but rather just.. too quiet. It gave Iwaizumi too much time to think, and he already was having a hard time with it due to the overwhelming pain and his clouded head.

Iwaizumi stumbled into the room, sitting heavily on a short bed. Maids were at his side in mere seconds, already beginning to work on Iwaizumi’s thigh. They removed the bloodied, old bandages and assessed the damage.

Iwaizumi’s face remained in a grimace throughout the painful process. He was close to passing out, unable to get his gaze to focus. Atsumu gripped his shoulder and held the prince upright.

“God.. Is everyone else.. Here? Did they arrive safely?” He forced himself to ask.

Atsumu nodded. “They’re very close. Kuroo’s condition was holding ‘em back for a little bit longer than expected.”

“I see.” Iwaizumi shut his eyes and allowed himself to lie down on his back. He blew out a hard breath at the increased throbbing of his thigh. He was glad it was dressed properly, but he was still wishing the medicine he took would work.

Atsumu turned his attention to the door when it was thrown open. He was about to pull out his sword but stopped when he saw Oikawa standing there. His eyes flashed in surprise and he dipped into a low bow.

“Prince Oikawa. I see you’ve heard about—“

“Is he okay? What happened, Guard?” Oikawa commanded and pushed himself into the room. The door closed behind him quite harshly and Iwaizumi scowled.

“I’m alright enough to tell you that you’re being way too loud!” Iwaizumi raised his head to shoot a glare at Oikawa. Oikawa stopped when he saw Iwaizumi’s condition. He noticed the soot covering his face and then turned his attention to the burnt clothes. His lips parted slightly.

“There was a fire?”

“No, I just went for a quick swim.” Iwaizumi crossed his arms. He may be out of it, but he was not going to pass up a chance to sass the drama king himself.

“So your sense wasn’t wrong. Do you know what caused it?” Oikawa stood at Iwaizumi’s side now, finger resting upon his chin in thought. His chocolate bangs bounced as he moved. Iwaizumi wondered how soft they would be against his fingers.

“Not yet. I’m sure it was Ushijima though.” The black-haired male shifted himself away from Oikawa. He didn’t want to get too close for the sole reason that Atsumu was still watching. He was carefully observing, looking between the princes. He gave off a slight feel of suspicion.

Iwaizumi cleared his throat. “We’ll have to look into it later.

Oikawa shook his head. “I’d like to talk about it now, actually. If we gather evidence on how Ushijima caused this, we can stop him from carrying out his plan.”

“We’ll have to wait for everyone to return and to be treated. Kuroo isn’t going to be able to join and he’s an important part of the whole ordeal. We need his input.” Iwaizumi’s muscles tensed as he forced himself to sit up. His body was racked with a coughing fit and Oikawa took a slight step towards him.

Iwaizumi held up a hand. “I-I’m alright,” he wheezed out.

Oikawa wasn’t convinced but he didn’t feel like arguing. He tucked his hands into his pant pockets. “Then we have nothing left to discuss. I’ll talk to you later.”

Oikawa wasn’t very fond of the idea of leaving Iwaizumi again, but he wouldn’t allow the prince to get past the wall he’s worked so hard to keep up. He fiddled with his thumbs as he entered the library. He groaned in annoyance as soon as he spotted Hanamaki’s pink hair.

“Can you two.. Not kiss like that in the library?” Oikawa’s nose scrunched up in disgust as he watched Mattsun and Makki make out. It was honestly disgusting.

“I don’t see you looking awayyyyy-“ Matsukawa said without opening his eyes. He continued.

“You are standing against the bookshelf that I was going to look on. Could you please-“

Hanamaki forced himself away, turning down his disheveled collar. “Fine, fine. We can go elsewhere.” Oikawa squeezed his eyes shut to avoid looking at them.

“Dear God what if someone walked in on you?”

“They did. They got their books and left. Sounds like something you could’ve done so you wouldn’t have interrupted us.” Matsukawa stuck out his bottom lip in a fake pout.

Hanamaki grabbed his wrist and began to trudge to the door. “We’ve got elsewhere we can be~”

“Can you guys not?!” Oikawa yelled after them.

Matsukawa laughed obnoxiously as Hanamaki dragged him out of the library. Oikawa turned around to look at the bookshelf again, blinking rapidly. He wasn’t going to get  _ that  _ image out of his head for a while.

So, he got to work. He began to pick out a few books from the shelf Mattsun and Makki were previously against. They were all about history, generally of the five kingdoms and some about the past of Ushijima’s kingdom, Ørn.

The five kingdoms:

_ Direwood. _

_ Divini. _

_ Jernvegg. _

_ Kattene. _

_ Ørn. _

__ Direwood, ruled by the Iwaizumi family. On a map it is the kingdom that would be the farthest East. Direwood is allied with the bordering kingdoms of Ørn, Divini, and Kattene. It has some of the highest defense and offense. Oikawa’s mother had become close friends with Iwaizumi’s mother and their kingdoms grew close because of it, closer than it did with any other kingdoms. Once Iwaizumi and Oikawa were born, they were not allowed to meet up as often as before.

Divini, ruled by the Oikawa family. Up to the North on a map, it is allies with Kattene and Direwood and has great offense and okay defense. It earned the nickname “Il Regno del Divino”, meaning “The Kingdom of the Divine”, because the respect and power each Royal family member holds is beyond normal expectations. Oikawa’s father is to be feared, and even Oikawa himself does not want to be around him for too long. His father is known for his terror-filled ruling and the Divinians have had to deal with similar rulings for almost 5 centuries.

Jernvegg, meaning “iron wall”, is ruled by the Tsukishima family. Although Aone is seen as the King with no known spouse, Kei Tsukishima rules behind the scenes with his husband Tadashi Yamaguchi. Aone is the commander of the Jernvegg army of five and half years, at 24 years old. They are allies with Ørn and Kattene and have the best defense of all. Their offense is lacking severely but being allied with Ørn makes up for it. It sits to the far west on a map.

Kattene, meaning “the cats”, is ruled by the Haiba family. Similarly to Jernvegg, there is a decoy king. Tetsurou Kuroo is the one who takes this role, and protects Lev Haiba and his husband Yaku. Instead of being the commander of the entire Kattene army, he is a general of a large portion. Kattene is allied with all other kingdoms as it is the center for trade. It sits perfectly in the center of the map and has many trade routes to each kingdom.

Ørn, meaning “eagle”, is ruled by Wakatoshi Ushijima alone. After a raid when he was only seven years old, when the kingdom’s defense was at its worst, his parents were killed and he was left to rule alone. He was determined and managed to pull the kingdom up to be the most powerful of all five, with the highest offense and okay defense. The kingdom earned the nickname “Rovdyr”, meaning “predators”, because they were the ones to attack first. It was always vicious and with the help of their allies, the enemy stood no chance.

Oikawa slammed a thick, red book closed and a small amount of dust clouded from the old, torn pages. He was tired of reading just the overviews of Ørn. He needed more information if he wanted to figure out what Ushijima was planning. History always repeats itself, right? So why couldn’t he find any record of a pattern in these old, dusty library books?

Oikawa pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing aside the book. “Alright, focus. You’ve gotten about every book possible on any type of pattern, but there’s got to be  _ more  _ to look for. Or, are all records gone because Ørn is allied with Direwood, so any bad news should be destroyed before Direwood breaks the alliance? That may complicate things.” Oikawa talked out loud to himself. He bit his lip and stood up straight, causing his back to pop many times. He winced.

“Need any help my dearest prince?” Sugawara cooed, leaning his chin against Oikawa’s shoulder. Oikawa jumped, having completely missed the commander’s loud entrance. This earned a laugh from Sugawara, and it made him sound like a psychopath. Oikawa found himself scowling.

“Fetch me any books with history of wars, battles, anything like that.” He didn’t think to say please, and Sugawara flicked him on the ear.

“If you were nicer, I may have thought about it. What’re you going to do, plan a war? Are you trying to avoid things tried in the past?”

“Don’t be so loud,” Oikawa hissed. He slammed yet another book shut. “I’m just trying to learn some new information regarding the kingdoms and their history. Maybe I’ll think about studying some information that may actually harm you.”

“You’re a terrible fighter, I don’t think mere reading would teach you some good techniques.” Oikawa faked a punch to Sugawara’s chest. This earned him another flick on the ear.

“Oh yeah? I think I’m a pretty great fighter. And plus, knowing how to read and write is a much better skill to have.” Oikawa stuck out his tongue.

“I know how to do both, and I stand by the fact that defending yourself is a better skill. Then you don’t have to listen to a certain bitchy prince and you can shut him up with a simple hit.”

“What?! How dar- OW! Suga!”

Sugawara snickered, pulling his hand away from Oikawa’s stomach as the prince doubled over in pain. He now held his arms over his stomach protectively.

“Like I said, it’s more useful.”

“It isn’t!” Oikawa glowered up at Sugawara. Sugawara flashed him another grin and turned. He skipped over to one bookshelf. “So, about wars eh? I’ll try to find you some.”

“Finally you’re cooperating. While you do that, I’m going to try and talk with Iwaizumi.” 

Sugawara hummed. “Alright, try not to kill him this time.”

“This time?” Oikawa turned to look at Sugawara in confusion. Sugawara’s eyes glinted in the natural light the winds let into the room.

“Did you not start the fire?”

“What on earth do you mean-“

Sugawara shrugged and turned away. He wasn’t going to answer again and Oikawa knew that. But how he wished he were wrong for once.

Instead of standing there to think on what Sugawara said, Oikawa let himself out of the room. He brushed past a few maids with a sudden hostility and pretty soon the hallways were empty.

Oikawa’s mood soured more at the thought of Iwaizumi telling him off for being alone. He knew it wasn’t a good choice to remain alone with the threat of being attacked but he didn’t make a move to stop it from happening. Maybe it was because he loved drama and would probably do anything to have a little bit of a risk in his life.

Almost the complete opposite of Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi wasn’t one to step too far out of his comfort zone. He preferred his own little circle, made to fit his tastes. Not too many people were allowed to even know what he found comfort in because he was scared he would lose them. The only things he was able to enjoy.

Oikawa knocked his knuckles against the door to Iwaizumi’s bed chambers. Iwaizumi grunted out a “ _ come in _ ” as he shifted from one side to his back.

“Back so soon?” Iwaizumi kept his eyes on the ceiling. Oikawa huffed. “I’m surprised you aren’t happier to see me. Anyone who is graced by my presence is extremely lucky.”

“My luck ran out a while ago.”

Oikawa scowled and pulled a wooden chair over to the side of Iwaizumi’s bed. He sat himself down and adjusted his fur collar. “Obviously not.”

“If you’re just going to complain about me ignoring your pride, why are you still here? I bet there are others who will praise you.”

“I am here because your company is more enjoyable than those others, minus the times where you decide to bully me.” Iwaizumi chuckled and Oikawa found himself drawn to the sound.

“I made you  _ laugh _ ? Should I be concerned?” Oikawa smiled. It was one of those rare smiles; he seemed to really only show his real smiles around Iwaizumi.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself. I tend to laugh at things if they’re funny.” Iwaizumi turned his face to meet Oikawa’s brown eyes. Oikawa couldn’t really find any words as he stared right back into Iwaizumi’s olive eyes. It went silent.

The silence was overly comforting. Oikawa found his hand moving without his consent, and it lightly touched Iwaizumi’s palm. His fingers traced circles and, although confused, Iwaizumi wasn’t pulling away.

As Iwaizumi watched Oikawa’s features, he realized a few things. The prince wasn’t as evil as he tried to seem. The mask he wore to appear cruel was slipping and revealing his true personality, even if it was only a little at a time.

Oikawa’s eyes softened and he looked down at Iwaizumi’s leg. The left corner of his lips twitched.  _ Hesitation,  _ Iwaizumi thought. Was Oikawa going to say something?

Nothing happened. Oikawa’s fingers slowed to a stop at Iwaizumi’s wrist. He seemed to be deep in thought. Iwaizumi sighed and lifted his hand, with Oikawa’s still resting against it, to brush his lips against the long fingers of the evil prince.

It was merely a sign of respect. Oikawa kept his gaze trained at Iwaizumi’s leg.

Iwaizumi chose his next words carefully. “Listen, I don’t know what’s happening right now but I’m not complaining. But, what’s on your mind? You look.. troubled.”

“I’m thinking about what happened to you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you told me to get out of there. But I can’t help but feel a little- I dunno- Guilty for leaving like that. Maybe I should’ve brought Aone with me.”

“You’re feeling guilty, really? I thought you didn’t get to feel that way with how you act towards everyone.”

“That’s not the point. Even a cruel ruler gets to have his moments, Iwa-Chan.”

“His moments? Why are you so dramatic about everything?” Iwaizumi fiddled with Oikawa’s fingers.

He eyed the silver ring upon Oikawa’s long pointer finger. It had delicate swirls in the metal band and a beautiful green emerald sat upon the top. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was in Oikawa’s family for a long time.

“Drama is what I live by. You may want to get used to it.” Oikawa murmured. Maybe he was thinking too hard about Iwaizumi’s words, which were only jokes.

Iwaizumi didn’t want to make this worse. He went silent.

Oikawa realized this and sighed. “So, are the others back by now?”

“Yes. Kuroo isn’t looking much better, though. But this is all I’ve heard so far. Maybe you should go find out how everyone’s doing so you can tell me? You all  _ are  _ my guests after all. I need to know how you are feeling.”

“Well I’m feeling great, and I’m sure everyone else is feeling awful.” Oikawa huffed and took his hand out of Iwaizumi’s. “But fine. If it’s what you want I guess I can do it. Only this once though.” He waved a finger at Iwaizumi who smiled.

“Great. I’ll be waiting. Don’t take too long Oiks.”

Oikawa dipped into a mocking curtsy. He stalked out of the room as he heard Iwaizumi’s soft laughing.

_ It’s been a day. Please don’t get too close, I’ll only hurt you Iwa-Chan. _

Sugawara had gathered only two books since the time Oikawa left. He was growing bored and was wondering if he should pick out some books for himself. Or, maybe, he could find some sort of books to teach Oikawa some  _ proper  _ fighting skills. His skills were lacking and Sugawara did not know if he could teach the prince himself.

He slumped down into a wooden chair, with light grey velvet cushions, that leaned against the left wall, in a little nook between the large bookshelves. He opened up one of the books about the history of Ørn and Jernvegg.

A set of loud boots brought him out of his thoughts. He fixed his gaze up on the newcomer and his eyes widened in surprise. He jumped out from the chair and bent into a deep bow. “K-King Ushijima! I apologize, I didn’t realize-“

“What are you reading?”

Sugawara’s lips parted but he couldn’t speak. He shakily rose back up and picked the book up from the floor where it fell. He held it out to Ushijima, who took it with a rather forced grip. Sugawara willed his heart to stop racing.

“Let me take this from your hands. Sorry to disturb you, Commander Sugawara.” He was about to turn away but Sugawara squeaked out a “ _ stop _ ”.

“I- Was not finished reading, Your Majesty. I apologize but I’d like to actually continue-“

“No.”

Sugawara’s breath hitched. “No?”

“I’m going to read it for tonight, it will be back by tomorrow afternoon. You can wait for me to finish like a proper citizen to a king.”

Ushijima didn’t even try to hide his bluntness about it. And although the king was rather rude, Sugawara found him.. well.. extremely hot. This wasn’t good.

It wasn’t good at all.

“As you wish,” Sugawara whispered and dipped into another bow. He let himself spare a glance up when he didn’t hear Ushijima move. He shot him a confused look. “May I help you with anything else?”

“Tell me about Oikawa.”

“Wha-“ Sugawara cleared his throat, “what about him?”

“What does he enjoy.” Ushijima kept his voice monotonous, and as a result, his questions became demands.

“Well, drawing, reading, archery,” Sugawara stopped himself and frowned. “May I know why you’re asking?”

“Maybe he’ll be useful after all.” Ushijima whispered and turned away. Sugawara stood in absolute confusion, eyes glazing over.

_ Oikawa will be useful? What is Ushijima going to do?  _ He thought. His eyes darted to the other book he had picked and found it was missing. Odd.. Maybe Ushijima had slipped it away while Sugawara had bowed.

Maybe he wanted to keep Sugawara from learning as much information as possible, even if it was irrelevant details.

Right then and there, Sugawara decided he was going to get closer to Ushijima to see what he was up to. He quietly followed Ushijima out of the library. Although he wore large boots, he was still completely silent against the carpet. Stealth was one of the many things Sugawara excelled in.

Ushijima turned a corner and, right as Sugawara was going to follow, his arms were pulled roughly behind his back and a hand covered his mouth. He tried to scream but it was muffled.

The world went black and Sugawara fell back into Tendou’s arms.


End file.
